A Very Loveless Hanukkah
by Dlbn
Summary: It's time for Hanukkah in Japan. Celebrated with our favorite little psychotic Sentouki, Akame Nisei
1. Nun

Dlbn: So, I decided that this year, I will write for Chanukah separately from Christmas, since they are far apart this year. Expect one chapter a day for the next eight days.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or anything in it. that all belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing this fic.

Dedication: Happy Chanukah to all my friends, readers, and reviewers who celebrate it!

000

Lighting the first candle on the Menorah he had placed on the kitchen counter, Nisei sighed and folded his hands together in a silent prayer; grasping a long, thin candle between his fingers. A stick of incense was still lit and hanging over the sink, flame dancing in a tantalizing pattern. He finished his little prayer and put the candle back in the center holder. Taking a step back, he watched the mesmerizing flame dance around in front of him. He kept his apartment completely dark whenever he lit candles, but this time it was dark due to the electric bill not being paid and thus getting the electricity cut off. He sat, precariously perched on the edge of the top of one of the barstools that he had put near the counter for large amounts of guests. Of course he never had guests other then Seimei or Mimuro-sempai. But Mimuro was with his mother for the holidays, and Seimei had run off somewhere after his defeat, so neither could be present. After the disaster the year before at the Chanukah party at his family's home, he was afraid to set foot in Kyoto again, let alone in his parents' house. With neither other friends nor family to speak of, he was left alone. He didn't really _mind_ the solitude, but the lack of electricity was a bit of an annoyance. What was he, the self-proclaimed Hacker Genius, supposed to do without his machinery and electricity? He could always grab some scrap pieces and try to fashion something new, but the light from the two lit candles on his countertop didn't shed enough light to work on something as delicate as that.

Sighing to himself, Nisei slowly slid off of the barstool and made his way to the refrigerator. He grabbed a clear container from the top of the fridge and brought it to the table. Inside were a small, black half moon shape, a Dreidel, and a bunch of chocolate coins and other assorted candy. He opened up some Smarties and poured them into little piles, putting one coin in each. He began to play a few rounds with himself until only two piles remained. He then grew bored and pushed the candy aside. He sighed and stood from his barstool that he had sat back down on. it just wasn't fun playing the game. Last time, he had played with his younger sister, Mimuro, and Seimei. It had been fun watching Seimei stumble about with spinning the wooden toy and forgetting the rules pretty easily. It was more entertaining then what he was doing now, by dim candle light. Nisei spun the Dreidel one last time before standing and going to the counter. He blew out the candles and incense. Humming the lyrics to _The Dreidel _Song and shuffling his feet as he walked down the hallway, the raven haired former Sentouki retired to bed for the night.

The clock on the stove indicated that it was 10:30 PM in bulky, red, digital letters as the Dreidel stopped spinning and fell onto its side on the table. The toy rocked side to side before falling to rest. A blue letter in Hebrew was displayed on the top.

Nun; _player does nothing_.


	2. Letter

Dlbn: Welcome back everyone! time for chapter 2! Hope I'm not too late to post this. It's cutting it close ^^"

Nbld: Let's get to the Review Corner! Thank you to Sycocat2 for reviewing, a Dreidel for you!

Sycocat2: Poor Nisei is at a loss a little bit at this point. No Seimei, no Mimuro, no family? The poor boy. Actually, I'm not Jewish, but my friends are, so I'm going off of what I know from them ^^" Never too late to learn indeed!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or anything in it. That all belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing this fic.

000

Nisei grimaced as he took a bite out of his home made latke and gagged. He had definitely done something wrong. But at least he hadn't almost burned down his apartment like he had almost burned down his family's home the first time Mimuro had come over for Chanukah. That had been a disaster in and of itself, and his sister actually liked him at that point and was eager for him to come home from school. The year before, however, he had made the mistake of inviting Seimei. Between Seimei being a dominating jackass and his father being a controlling jackass, he had ended up throwing a fit like a child and stormed off. The night had ended with Seimei sticking up for him to his father and pissing off the oldest male in the house. It was the reason he was slightly afraid to go home this year. His mother had invited him, but he just wasn't comfortable.

Nisei sighed and spun his toy Dreidel on the kitchen table. The light coming from three candles on the Menorah on his countertop lit up the room slightly and reflected off of the toy. His parents had a wooden one that they allowed him and the others to play with, but his mother had gotten him a metal one for the first night Hanukah when he was a kid. He preferred to play with the metal one and her it clink on the table instead of the dull thud of the wooden one. Without anyone to play with, however, he grew bored rather quickly. He was tempted to throw the toy at the wall in anger, but he didn't want to damage it. Instead he slammed the toy onto the table and drummed the fingers of his other hand. He ripped open a couple gelt, and popped one into his mouth. The melt chocolate melted on his tongue as he sighed. It was times like these that he actually _missed_ his father's annoying habit of picking on him while his sister rolled her eyes and their mother tried to intervene but ended up just consoling Nisei later at night. At least then he wouldn't be spending the holidays alone.

His hand absentmindedly traveled to the pile of mail sitting on the counter. The electric company had sent him something, and seeing it made him stop looking through the rest. He ignored the daily paper and the bill as he flipped through. A card-sized enveloped behind a letter about his grades and attendance caught his attention. Who would send him a card? Mimuro and his family would just call him, and he didn't have any other friends or relatives. So who…?

Nisei pulled open the envelope, ignoring his name and address being written on it in sloppy Japanese. He pulled out the card and rolled his eyes at the card written in English. He knew it said Hanukah on it, due to the menorah on the front, but that was it. He opened the card and noticed a message inside written in Japanese.

_Akame,_

_I'm not really good with writing sentimental things, but I figured I should at least be nice about it. I know last year wasn't the…greatest thing in the world, so I hope this year is at least a little better. You might get this in time, and you might not. I'm not sure how long it takes to send something to Japan from here. This is not the last time you will hear from me. When the time comes, I will be coming back to take my rightful place as Number One of Septimal Moon. And although you're not a fighter anymore (that's right, I know things), I will need your help. So that's basically all I have to say._

_Happy Hanukah,_

_Aoyagi Seimei_

Nisei blinked in confusion before a slow smile stretched across his face. Seimei remembered. Nisei put away his things and set the card on the counter by the menorah. He blew out the candles and left the kitchen. Once under the covers, he snuggled up to his pillow and got the first good sleep he had in a long time.


	3. Visitor

Dlbn: Hello, everyone, and welcome to day three of Hanukah!

Nbld: And chapter three of our fic! This one is a little bit longer then the others! Let's get to the Review Corner! Thank you to Sycocat2 for reviewing! Here's some gelt for you! *hands it over*

Sycocat2: Seimei's doing what he does best. Manipulating anyone and everyone around him. Including his own, lonely, (former) Fighter. *Hands tissues*

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless! All of it belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing in this category!

000

It wasn't that he _wasn't_ happy to see a familiar face on the doorstep, but he wasn't exactly happy to see _that_ familiar face on the doorstep. Nisei slammed the door in the beaming woman's face, turning around and leaning against the doorframe. He slid his hand to the doorknob and clicked the lock into place.

"Hey!" An angry, feminine voice protested as light knocking resumed on the front door. "That's not cool, Akame! Let me in!"

"Why the _hell_ are you _here_?" Nisei groaned. "And how did you know where I lived?!"

"Seimei sent me directions to get here." She replied. "You're not going to leave a woman standing out in the hallway, banging on the door all night, are you?"

"A woman? No. You? Yes. Nisei sighed. What do you _want_, Thoughtless?"

"I got kicked out of my apartment because I can't afford last month's rent. Seimei told me that if I came to you, you'd give me a place to stay."

Nisei groaned. Of _course_ his former Sacrifice-emphasis on the 'former'-would offer up _his_ apartment without _his_ consent to someone he _barely_ tolerated. But, then again, he supposed the green haired girl in the hall was better then the long haired transgender Fighter that gave him the creeps. It wasn't the fact that she was transgender that creeped him out, but rather Yurio's fighting style and attitude towards everyone around him; including his own Sacrifice.

"Akame?" The woman wondered again. "Your neighbors are beginning to stare at my ass and I'm not going to tolerate it for much longer, which could cause you a _lot_ of problems."

Nisei groaned and unlocked the door before opening it and grabbing the girl by the wrist. He pulled her inside and shut and locked the door behind her as she stumbled on high heels and crashed to the floor.

"Oof!" She cried out. "Damn it, Akame!" She rolled over to sit on her backside and rubbed both of her knees. "You know about my legs, so what the hell?"

"Of course they were _staring_ at your ass." Nisei huffed, disregarding her question and shutting and locking the door again. "Who in their right mind wears booty shorts and a tank top in the middle of winter, eh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Unlike you, I have a sense of fashion." She crinkled her nose as she noted the black pajama bottoms he was wearing with furry black slippers, and his lack of a shirt. "You couldn't dress any worse if you tried."

"Gee, thanks, I appreciate the sincerity." Nisei rolled his eyes. "I just woke up, you know. I have no electricity, I only have cold running water, and, oh yeah, I'm all alone for the next few days because it's freaking Hanukah and everyone is celebrating with their families. So pardon _me_ if I didn't think to get dressed and expect random people to come knocking on my door."

"Hanukah?" She wondered, cocking her head to the side. "What's that?"

"Ugh!" He threw his hands in the air in mock surrender before going around her towards his kitchen. "I'm Jewish, dumbass. It's the Festival of Lights. Jewish holiday that lasts eight days."

"Eight days, huh?" She wondered. "That's a long holiday." Using the arm of a chair she had collapsed to, the woman slowly lifted herself up to her feet. She wobbled a little in the inappropriate shoes she was wearing. She followed him into the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's symbolic."

"Of what?"

"Why should I tell you?" He snorted. "You've never been interested in me before, Chouma, so why start now?"

She huffed, mauve eyes sparkling in annoyance as mint green bangs blew up from her face. "So I can't be interested in my host's life?" She asked.

"I'm not your host. I'm going to make you a hot cup of coffee or whatever it is you drink, give you a jacket, and send you on your way."

"_Seimei_ said to let me stay here."

"_Seimei_ isn't my Sacrifice anymore, remember?" Nisei snorted, smirking. "I don't have to do what he says anymore."

"But you will, I know you." Chouma spotted the Menorah and walked to the counter. She grabbed it by the base and looked it over. "What is this?"

"A Menorah." Nisei folded his arms. "Put it down before you drop it."

She did as told, surprisingly. "What's it for?"

"It's for Hanukah, it's just something we do, alright?"

"Which is what?"

He groaned. "You light one for each night of Hanukah."

"But there's nine candle slots."

"Your point?"

"And only eight days for the holiday?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his left index finger and thumb. Why was she being so insistent on learning about his culture?

"Well?"

"You light the big one in the middle and use it to light the other candles."

"That's weird."

"No weirder then giving gifts to dead people."

"If you're trying to make a jab at Buddhism, I'll have you know that _I_ am an atheist."

"Good for you." Nisei rolled his eyes.

"You're in a bitchy mood. What's gotten into you? I mean, you're always a jerk, but this is a new level of jerk for you."

"I'm a Fighter whose Sacrifice, who's whole reason for living, voluntarily ended their connection and then forcefully removed his name, and then was stripped of power but yet allowed to live because Gomon hates Seimei more then me for whatever reason. My family is out celebrating together and because of Seimei's antics last year, I'm too ashamed to go home to be with them for a very sacred holiday. My _fiancé _is celebrating with his mother, who doesn't like me, and I cannot go. Nor do I have any friends to spend the holiday with. Why _wouldn't_ I be miserable?"

She blinked. "I didn't think you had a heart capable of missing people, Akame, let alone loving one."

Nisei shrugged. "I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?"

"You are." She nodded. Her eyes drifted to the Dreidel sitting on the table. "What's that?"

"Dreidel. It's a game." He didn't blink.

She nodded. "How do you play?"

He quickly went over the rules but caught the disinterest in her eyes as they wandered over the room. "Am I boring you?"

"Never be a teacher."

"I was thinking about it, actually. You know, for a legitimate job while I'm busy hacking computers and obtaining information."

She rolled her eyes. "How clever…" Her eyes landed on the card from Seimei. She swiped it up and opened it to read inside. "So he told you he's coming back, huh?"

"Yeah." Nisei shrugged. "I can't be of much use to him, though. Not without my powers."

She shrugged back. "He needs your hacking skills." She looked the card over again. "May all of your wishes and dreams come true this Hanukah. Remember the good and forget the bad. Happy Hanukah." She read it.

"You…you read the English part?" That didn't sound like something Seimei would write.

She smiled and tilted her chin up slightly. "As a member of Septimal Moon, I am _fluent_ in English, Akame."

"Are you, now…" He paused. "What does the front say, then?"

She looked to the front of the card. Her eyes scanned it before she burst into laughter. "S-Seimei sent you this?" She giggled. "This…this has to be a prank…no way would he choose this!"

"He doesn't speak English so…oh…wait…Septimal Moon." Nisei could have hit himself for that one. How could he forget that Septimal Moon sent their messages back and forth in English _only_, so unwanted readers couldn't understand?

"It says '_to a dear friend_'."

Nisei blinked. "Dear friend?"

Friend? Seimei considered him a friend? Dear? As in very close? A term of endearment? Maybe the Beloved Sacrifice had learned that he had made a mistake and was trying to butter him up so he could come back. That seemed logical.

"So…I'm guessing Seimei sent that in English and then sent you here when you talked to him about being homeless. That way you would translate it for me and he could suck up to me through you, so that I'll take him back when he returns."

"That sounds like Seimei, but I honestly don't know. I was merely talking to him as collegues and told him that our discussions would be scarce because I had to rely on the Tokyo City Library." She huffed, leaning her elbows on the counter and putting her chin in her hands. "He told me to come find you and that you'd help me." She cocked an eyebrow. "Am I wasting my time?"

Nisei sighed. "Since you translated that for me, I _suppose_ I can let you use my guest room…"

"Really? You mean it?" She perked up like a puppy about to receive a treat for doing a trick for her master.

"Yeah, I guess." He rolled his eyes. "I can't leave you out in the cold, especially dressed like that. It's a holiday, so I'll be nice. I'm just lonely, so don't take it as a weakness and use it against me, or I swear I will make your life a living _hell_. Alright, Thoughtless?"

She grinned. "You got it, Beloved." She replied. "Movers will be here in an hour with my stuff. Hope you don't mind." She bounded over to him and handed him a $100 bill. "Pay them with this or something, would you?"

"I thought you couldn't cover your rent…where did this come from?"

"I pay 400 in rent a month. That's only 100, duh." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll be using your shower, kay?" She pulled something from the tiny pocket of her shorts and put it in his hand. "For you." She turned and strutted out of the kitchen towards the back of the apartment to find the bathroom.

Nisei blinked in surprise before looking down to see what she had given him. It was a tiny box, which most likely fit a bracelet or necklace. He opened it up to see a tiny folded up piece of paper and a golden bracelet that read 'Beloved'. He huffed at the insult and took out the note.

_Before this homeless bullshit began, Seimei had sent this to me and said to give it to you whenever I saw you again. I was _going_ to just pawn it for some rent money, but I figured I shouldn't or he'd kill me if he came back and you didn't have it. You know how he is with killing people~_

_Anyway, happy Hanukah, Akame. Thanks for letting me stay at your place._

Nisei groaned. So they'd both known all along that he would let her stay with him, and she's known right along that it was Hanukah. Seimei probably told her and she was faking being uninformed. How did he fall for that one?


	4. Friends

Dlbn: Hello everyone, and welcome back! We're not updating at the last second again, yay!

Nbld: If we missed another day, I'd hit something.

Dlbn: Agreed.

Nbld: Well, now that no hitting shall commence, let's get to the Review Corner! Thank you to Sycocat2 and Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Pie for you both!

Sycocat2: That it can. Apparently when he's lonely, Nisei turns into the nicest guy on the planet.

Yoitemichaelis: Hehe I try ^^" That's Seimei for you. Manipulating anyone and everyone he can get his hands on. Especially his fighter ;) Er…former Fighter at this point XD

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or anything in it. It all belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing in this category!

000

Thoughtless was a huge pain in the ass. That was the only thought that had run through Nisei's mind all day. She'd spent a majority of the time lounging around and complaining about how bored she was because of the lack of electricity. When he had offered her a handheld game system to play with to keep herself occupied, she stated she wasn't a 'gamer' and didn't want to bother. He didn't really care because it meant he would save battery until his next trip to Starbucks to charge it. Her whining and complaining had resulted in him almost throwing the Menorah at her head, but settling for leaving the apartment instead to venture out into the city. He had brought his game systems, cell phone, laptop, and chargers all in his laptop bag so he could try Starbucks and see if he could charge his stuff. He was really in the mood for coffee and a donut. He didn't have much to eat at home except his terribly made latkes and premade foods that he couldn't heat up. Mostly everything in the fridge and freezer had expired without the electricity to keep the appliances running. Luckily, he had taught himself how to make his own mini cooker that didn't require electricity for the frozen meals. Unluckily, he was still hungry.

His stomach growled as he took quick, long steps down the sidewalk in the frigid cold to get to his destination. If there were no open spots at Starbucks, he'd have to try the library. It was the middle of the day, so students were out and about, most likely using up Starbucks' tables and electricity to hang with friends and do homework or watch cat videos on the internet. He never _did _understand why a bunch of _nekos_ kept cats as pets or found them interesting, but he didn't really care all that much.

Not watching where he was going, having been lost in his thoughts, Nisei bumped into someone taller then him. He heard a male voice call out and fell backwards onto the snow in surprise.

"Oof!" He complained. Rubbing his backside with one hand, he checked his laptop to make sure it was alright before moving onto the game systems. Once he knew they were fine, he glared up at the person he had walked into.

"Are you alright?" A green haired male that bared striking resemblance to Chouma wondered. He offered Nisei his left hand. "Sorry, I shouldn't be standing in the middle of the sidewalk like that." He smiled before pressing his cell phone back to his ear. "Akira, I'll call you back in a little bit. I love you too."  
He snapped his phone shut at the same time that Nisei took the offered hand and pulled himself up to stand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He brushed snow off of himself. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going…hey…aren't you Agatsuma's friend?"

He knew the guy looked familiar! He had knocked him unconscious with a spell at the Academy before Yurio and Hideo, Bloodless, carted him off to hold as prisoner.

"You know Sou-chan?" The male blinked. He looked down a little at the shorter Nisei and his eyes popped open in surprise. "I remember you…from that school, right?"

"Yeah, you're right." Nisei folded his arms. "I'll get going. I don't want to cause trouble. I'm trying to escape from it."

"Something wrong?" The male took a step back. "I don't mean to intrude."

"Just a _very_ annoying house guest who knew I didn't have electricity prior to moving in with me, and now takes up space on my couch complaining all day that she's bored." Nisei snorted. "I need to charge my stuff, anyway."

"No electricity? Something happen?"

"Nothing you need to worry about…" Nisei unfolded his arms and fiddled with the Dreidel in his pocket.

Chouma had gotten bored earlier in the day and tried to flush it, amongst other things that were not meant for a toilet, to see what would happen. At least he had the running water in the apartment so he could use the bathroom and bathe.

"You…seem different then the last time I saw you." The male informed toying with a piercing in his left ear. He sure had a lot of them. "Like less cocky…"

"Yeah, I've been told that." Nisei rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to get going."

"Alright." The male blinked. "Um…I know this might sound weird but…er…my boyfriend and I were going to make a big dinner tonight…would you like to join us?"

Nisei took a step back. "Why?" Was this some type of scheme for revenge or something?

"You just look like you could use a friend."

Nisei blinked. Was this guy for real? Did he not remember what Nisei did to him?

"Uh, I guess…" He stated. "But I have to be home by sundown. It's Hanukah, and I have something to do tonight…Menorah lighting and stuff…"

"Hanukah?" The male wondered. "You're Jewish? Awesome. Akira can drive you home by sundown."

"Sure…?"

Wait, why was he trusting this guy? He was Chouma's twin, for god's sake!

"Good, let's go." He grinned. "Oh, and I'm Kio, by the way. Kaido Kio." He bowed.

"Akame Nisei."

"Nice to meet you, Akame-kun."

"Please, just Nisei." It was bad enough his sensei called him that.

"Okay. Then Kio-chan, or Kio, is fine with me."

"Sure." Nisei shoved his hands in his pockets and trailed after the male.

Was his need for companionship that great that he'd go off with strangers that he had injured and led to the kidnapping of? Never feeling more pathetic, Nisei sighed and kept walking behind the male he hardly knew, to go to a place he had never been before.

000

The reception he got about his impromptu visit to strangers' apartment got less then positive reception from Mimuro. Nisei ignored his calls to force him to go back to texting. The Fearless sacrifice had resorted to writing in all caps or using multiple exclamation marks in anger, claiming he wouldn't be able to shoot over to Nisei's rescue if his new hosts decided to turn against him. Reminding him that he couldn't fight his way out on his own anymore hit a nerve and Nisei gave him a less then polite text saying to back off and leave him alone for the night. He'd received three calls and fourteen apologizing text messages, but they all went ignored by the raven haired fighter. Dinner with the two males had ended about an hour ago, but they kept him entertained with tea and cookies. Kio kept a lollipop in his mouth the entire time, except when eating or taking a drink. Nisei shuttered to think of how many cavities the twin had hiding in his mouth. Probably as many cavities as piercings.

"So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you said you met before?" Akira wondered, taking a sip form his tea.

"Yeah, I uh…I work for Seimei." Nisei shrugged, stirring his cup of tea lazily with a spoon.

"You mean Rit-chan's brother?" Kio asked. "I thought he died."

"You mean Ritsuka? Yeah, that's Seimei's brother, and no, he's alive. Faked his death." Nisei took a sip of tea as though it was no big deal.

"That…somehow doesn't surprise me." Kio muttered. "He always _was _a pretty shady bastard…"

"I'm probably shadier then he is. Or at least, I was…"

Kio smiled softly. "Let's change topics, eh?" He offered. "You're in high school, right?"

"Yeah, I'm a Junior."

"Only a year to go."

"For me. My boyfriend's graduating in the Spring. It's going to suck without him. I don't have friends." Nisei looked away and grabbed a scone to shove into his mouth and keep himself quiet.

"I'm sorry…" Kio grinned. "Well, you can count Akira and me as friends too, now, right, Akira?"

The yellow-orange haired male smiled softly. "Yeah, you can." He stated. "I know we're a couple random strangers and college students that you hardly know, but…"

"I interact with random strangers on a daily basis to do shit for Seimei and cover his conniving backside whenever he messes up." Nisei snorted, mouth full. He swallowed. "I think I can handle it."

Kio grinned. "Good to know."

Nisei sighed. He'd revealed more about himself to these two lovebirds then anyone else knew about him, well, except for Mimuro. He was the only person who knew Nisei completely; inside _and _out. Why in the world would he do that? Yeah, they were nice. But he knew from experience that 'nice' people could turn very not nice at the snap of his fingers.

"Something wrong?" Kio wondered.

"No, just a long day…" Nisei looked out the window.

Snow was lightly beginning to fall outside. He groaned. "It's snowing." He complained.

"Don't like snow?"

"I have no electricity and no heat. I'm going to freeze my ass off tonight…" He sighed. "Oh well. Can't live the life of luxury all the time, right?"

"Do you want to spend the night here?" Akira wondered.

"That's kind of you to offer, but unfortunately I have a very destructive house guest that has nothing to entertain herself with and tried to flush my Dreidel, menorah, candles, homework, a text book, _and_ PSP down the toilet this morning to 'see what would happen'. I'm afraid she may have torn up the place while I've been gone."

"Why do you let her stay there?"

"Seimei."

He didn't need to explain further, it seemed, because Kio nodded in understanding.

"I'll bring you home, then. You said sundown, right?" Akira wondered. "It's dark out, so you're late…"

Nisei shrugged. "It's not a rule that I _have_ to light the candles at sundown, I just want to be home by sundown. Sorry if it's too much to ask, I'll…"

"No, no, it's fine." Akira smiled softly. "Your boyfriend is probably worried about you. I saw you angry texting earlier."

"You mean typing fast?" Nisei wondered, standing as the fiancés-he'd learned that from the ring on Kio's finger-did. "I'm a hacker. Speed typing is kind of my thing."

"Could you hack the school and change my grades?" Kio laughed. "Just kidding."

Nisei rolled his eyes. For being the twin brother of a sociopathic, homicidal, _psycho_, Kio was actually a pretty nice, thoughtful guy. If his sister's name was 'Thoughtless', then his should have been 'Thoughtful'.

000

After assuring Mimuro that he was alright upon returning home and listening to the blonde give him countless apologies, Nisei flopped down on the couch where Chouma had fallen asleep with a book open over her slender legs. He had removed the book and covered her so she wouldn't freeze as he pulled his jacket tight around him.

"Mm…Nisei?" She stirred. "Where have you been?"

"I had dinner with your twin." Nisei snorted. "I walked into him and the guy invited me over for dinner with him and his fiancé."

"Fiancé?" Chouma was awake now. "He's engaged? Is she cute? Wait, you wouldn't know, that's right." She snuggled under the blanket he had put on her.

"Your brother's fiancé is a cute _guy_ indeed. They're both so nice I think I got more cavities then your brother does…so many lollipops…"

She chuckled. "He's like me, then." She stretched, her feet poking out from under the blanket.

Nisei looked away.

"Well, now that you're home and not dead…" She looked over the back of the couch. "Don't you have a candle to light?"

"Yeah…"  
"Come on, I'll watch this time." She stood and offered her a hand with perfectly manicured fingernails.

Nisei blinked but took her hand anyway. Not unlike her brother, her hand was soft and warm; despite the chill settling over the apartment. The male smiled softly but hid it as she smirked.

"I'm not as heartless as you think, Akame."

"Just thoughtless."

"Precisely."

Nisei laughed and pulled his hand back. The psychotic Septimal Moon member followed him into the kitchen, gigging.

"Nice to see you in a good mood for once, Akame. You're always so moody."

"As are you."

"And Seimei."

"A slave to the name."

A hushed silence fell over them as Nisei retrieved everything he'd need to light the Menorah again. For once, Chouma didn't scoff or make any snide comments as Nisei completed his holiday tradition. She was definitely the opposite of her brother. But in those moments under the dim candlelight, Nisei could see the similarities a little bit clearer.

Perhaps being alone on Hanukah _wasn't_ okay with him after all.


	5. Forty-Three

Dlbn: Holy crap, we're actually keeping up with updates!  
Nbld: I'm scared as well.

Dlbn: AND writing updates for everything else in the meantime? This is weird.

Nbld: Indeed it is. Yay for inspiration, though. Let's get onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Sycocat2 for reviewing! A Chibi Nisei for you!

Sycocat2: Kio's always so nice to everyone. Even his former kidnappers XD Seimei probably ordered Nisei to do it and make him forget. Though he does remember Nisei from the Academy he just doesn't remember being knocked out by him. I love Chouma. We don't see much of her, but I feel like she'd terrorize everyone XD

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless! Everything belongs to Yun Kouga! I make NO money off of this!

000

Snow fell gently over Tokyo as Nisei sat cuddled up the plush, black chair in his living room with a heavy blanket and a good on computer programming open in his lap. Chouma sat lengthwise on the couch, also covered in a heavy blanket to keep warm. She thumbed through the book she had been reading when Nisei came home from Kio's apartment the day before, but she didn't seem really interested in it. Nisei took a sip from the porcelain tea cup sitting on the little table next to him. Chouma had a cup near her as well, but she hadn't drank any of it-to his knowledge-and ti was probably cold by now. He had made hers first because she had been claiming about having no caffeine, since she ran out of lollipops for sugar. Like her brother, she seemed to have on in her mouth twenty four-seven. Nisei didn't really care if they rotted their teeth out, but Chouma's constant slurping on the treat made him want to strangle her even more then when she tried to clog up the toilet. At least she hadn't done that since. Although he _did_ come home from Starbucks earlier in the day to see that she had made a fort using all his living room and kitchen furniture; including all the pillows and blankets from the bedrooms, and linens from the linen closet. It had taken him forever to cut his way through the maze of items and find her, but when he did, she was practically rolling around, laughing. He didn't see it that funny. He had made her put everything away while he sat in the kitchen and prepped for lighting the Menorah later, as well as attempted to make latkes. When she had almost choked to death on it, he relented and let her order food with what little money he had left. He really needed to get a job soon. Mimuro had been harping on him about that since Seimei fled.

He heard Chouma give a third exaggerated sigh in the past twenty minutes.

"Do you need something, Chouma?" He wondered.

"No, I'm just making noises to try and irritate you." She gave him a look with one eye closed and stuck out her tongue. "What a stupid question, Akame. I'm _bored_."

"I can tell." He smirked. "I don't think you were actually _reading_ that book. You _can_ read Japanese, right?"

She glared. "Of course. What do you take me for? An idiot?" She scoffed. "I read English, too, and it's not even my native language. Dumb question."

He laughed. "Could have fooled me, Chouma." He went back to his book.

"Ugh, isn't there _anything _to do around here?"

"I told you before I moved in that I have no electricity. I've also offered you all of my game systems to play, but you refuse. The only other thing you could do is draw or write."

"Hey, drawing. That's a good idea." She stated. "Let's play tic-tac-toe or something. I'm bored. Solo activities are _so_ not my thing…unless you call killing people a solo activity. Then I do like solo activities." The maniacal smile she was giving him practically reached her eyes, making her look like some deluded, distorted Cheshire cat.

"I guess that's a solo act since you have no Fighter…"

"Exactly." She laughed before controlling herself and giving him an innocent smile. "So what do you say, Nisei? Play a game with me?" She practically purred, leaning forward to expose more of her breasts.

"Sorry, those aren't doing it for me." Nisei informed her. "But if it will appease you, go find some paper and pens…"

She squealed before throwing the blanket to the side. She got up and bounded over to him before kissing his cheek. "Arigato, Akame Nisei." She fled the room faster then he thought was possible for her.

It wasn't until an hour later when she got frustrated and began throwing pens at his head that Nisei called it quits to light the Menorah again. No matter how bored he was, he'd never play games with Chouma again. _Forty three to sixteen_. Sore loser…


	6. Guests

Dlbn: Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the story!  
Nbld: We apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it's the ending we watned for it and it came quickly.

Dlbn: Now who's rambling?

Nbld: *hits* Shut up!

Dlbn: Ow

Nbld: Anyway, let's get onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Sycocat2 and Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Candy for you both!

Sycocat2: Hehe yup ^^ She's a little trouble maker, isn't she? ;)

Yoitemichaelis: I want to see more of Chouma in the manga XD Haha she is in a category all her own XD Well, with Nisei powerless now, Mimuro _has_ to be worried about him…more then usual XD

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless. It all belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of this.

Disclaimer 2: According to the Loveless wikia, Yurio is a transvestite. I thought Yurio was a girl at first, but he is apparently a male (I learned after reading a little bit more)

000

To say that Nisei was surprised when he opened the door to his apartment, after ten minutes of uninterrupted banging on his door, and spotted a duo standing in the hallway would be an understatement. He glared at the two males on his doorstep; one a tall blonde, and the other a slightly shorter with pink hair. The one with pink hair smirked devilishly as the word 'Bloodless' curled over his cheek.

"Hello, Akame." He greeted in a slightly feminine voice.

"Yurio." Nisei nodded in greeting. "Hideo." He greeted the blonde. "To what do I owe this pleasure? Seimei send you to liberate me from Chouma?" He folded his arms over his chest.

"My word, you're suspicious." Yurio ran fingers through his light colored locks. "Can't two old collegues stop on by for a little visit?"

"You better not want money or food, because I have neither."

"As we've been told." Hideo nodded. "But we're not here for either. Let us in?"

Nisei sighed. "Against my better judgment…" He muttered, stepping aside and motioning for them to enter.

Yurio looked around the apartment, bemused, but Hideo kept his eyes forward as he walked. The Sacrifice didn't seem highly interested in anything anymore. Not since his original Fighter, Maiko, was killed by Nisei under the guise of being sent by Septimal Moon. Seimei had ordered it as an attempt to lure the infatuated Hideo into his group. It worked pretty well, but Nisei wasn't going to tell the truth any time soon. Hideo may kill him for it. Yurio, however was looking around as if he'd never seen furniture before. He spotted the Menorah on the counter.

"What's that for?" He wondered, pointing a perfectly manicured nail at it.

"Menorah." Nisei explained.

"What's Menorah?"

"That's what it's called."

"I asked what it's for."

"I'm Jewish."

"And?"

Nisei groaned in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's for Hanukah. You light one candle a night for eight days."

"There's nine candles."

"That's what I said." Chouma stated. She was leaning on the doorframe between the living room and hallway, legs stretched out in front of her and crossed.

"Chouma?" Hideo wondered. "You're here?"

"I moved in a few days ago." Chouma informed, brushing hair out of her eyes with one free hand. Her other hand was stretched up against the doorframe as if she was posing as a model. "I got kicked out of my place because I couldn't pay rent, and Akame let me move in here. You look different without the wig, Yurio."

The transgender male ignored her. "I thought she bugged the shit out of you." Yurio informed Nisei.

"She tricked me. Her and Seimei both." He rolled his eyes.

"You still _listen_ to Seimei?" Hideo chuckled. "Poor Akame. The forever faithful lapdog left behind to rot like a common mutt."

Nisei snarled at him. "Shut your mouth." He ordered. "I don't _listen_ to Seimei, but he sent me a card and she translated it so I did her a favor. If he hadn't sent the card, I would've told her to get lost."

"Gee, how nice." Chouma huffed. "And here I thought you actually liked me."

"You tried to clog up my toilet just to 'see what would happen' and stepped on my dislocated finger back when Seimei was still around and laughed about it."

She giggled. "Oh yeah, I did."

Yurio hid his mouth behind his hand as he snickered. Hideo just rolled his eyes and took up residence on the couch.

"Could you be any more immature?" He scolded the snickering psychos.

"Oh lighten up." Yurio whacked his Sacrifice across the back of the head.

Nisei rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen. He pulled four sodas out of an ice chest he had filled by stealing ice from a convenience store, and put three on the coffee table for his guests as they bickered. Chouma had sat down by the time he had returned to the room, and she happily took her soda to sip from as she uncrossed and re-crossed her legs. Nisei sat opposite of Hideo and tried to ignore the Bloodless unit shoving each other back and forth. He leaned forward and leaned his elbows onto his knees to hold his chin. Why was he always stuck with the psychos? He was sure Seimei was behind this somehow.


	7. Encounter

Dlbn: Hello, everyone! So sorry that we missed posting yesterday. Luckily for us, it's still technically the seventh day of Hanukah until sundown, so this isn't exactly late. But be sure to look for another update later tonight, closer to midnight (my time, East coast)

Nbld: Okay, time to shut up now. Let's move onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Sycocat2 and Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Pocky for you both!

Sycocat2: Haha it really does XD I don't think there's a single team that's completely sane in the series, to be honest XD Poor Nisei has his hands full already. Glad you enjoyed!

Yoitemichaelis: It's volume…9, I believe. If not, then it's 10, but I'm pretty sure it's 9. I downloaded all the Scanlations from Kamibana before the volumes were released, too XD the majority of it is that they don't really seem to care much for one another. XD Glad you enjoy XD I want to have them at each other's throats, but for it to be funny at the same time. Nisei should host a reality show. Then he'd get his electricity back XD

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless. It all belongs to Yun Kouga. I make _no_ money off of this.

000

Since Yurio and Hideo had made it quite clear that they didn't intend on leaving Nisei's apartment for a while, Nisei took it upon himself to vacate the apartment yet again. He needed a break from the three psychos. He was certain Seimei had told them to go and bother him. He probably wanted them all together so he could come back soon, like his card had promised. The thought of Seimei returning sent mixed feelings through him. Part of him wanted Seimei to come back so he could beg to be his Fighter again and for Seimei to reconnect their bond. Yet another part of him wanted to curse Seimei out for what he had done-severing their bond and cutting their shared name out of Nisei's hand-and refuse to join him again. But what would he _really_ do when Seimei came back? He'd just act on his instinct. Seimei seemed to know that he was no longer a Fighter. So why did he want him to help? He couldn't do…oh…hacking…right. But Bloodless could to that, too. Yurio had done it with the Seven Voices Academy before, so why was this any different? Nisei shook the thoughts out of his head as he spotted a few elementary school kids up ahead. They were huddling close together, watching something on a cell phone and didn't appear to see him. He recognized three of them as Aoyagi Ritsuka and the Zero twins, but the other two-one with pink hair and one with black hair that was tipped in grey-cream-were unfamiliar. He didn't see Agatsuma Soubi, Ritsuka's Fighter, with them. Relieved, he stepped out of the way as they got too close.

"Thanks, Akame." Ritsuka offered.

"You're welcome, Loveless."

Ritsuka snorted as they passed. The girl, who was holding the camera, and the boy he didn't recognize kept walking as Ritsuka and the Zeroes stopped in their tracks. The three students turned to look at him in complete unison. Nisei tucked a stray strand of hair that refused to stay up in his bun behind his ear. Silence fell around them with the snow as the other two students noticed they were no longer in the group and trotted back over.

"Who's that, Ritsuka-kun?" The girl wondered, leaning down a bit, as she was taller then all the others. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I do." Ritsuka sent a hateful glare his way, but the pinkette seemed unfazed.

Nisei noted that she and Yurio had similar hair color and facial structure, but he let the thought slip away as he felt the Zeroes gear up for a battle. A Fighter or not, he could still sense these things if the aura was strong enough.

"I'm just going for a walk to escape my psychotic forced roommates." He informed. "I don't want to fight, and I can't anyway, so back down."

The Zeroes shared a look.

"I don't know if we can trust him, Yoji." The dark haired one informed.

"I don't know either, Natsuo." Replied the mint haired one.

"What do you think, Ritsuka?" They both asked, looking to the Loveless Sacrifice.

"You can't fight?" Ritsuka ignored the creepy twins.

"No."

"Fight?" The other boy asked, adjusting his glasses. "Why…?"

"Don't worry about it, Yayoi." Ritsuka muttered. "You don't expect us to _believe_ that, do you, Akame?"

"You're friends with Gomon. You should know they caught me and rendered me powerless." Nisei adjusted his messenger bag on his shoulder. "Now if you don't mind, I want to continue my walk. I've had a miserable holiday and I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone…"

"Holiday?" Yuiko wondered. "There's a holiday this week?"

"I believe the only winter holiday around this time is Hanukah." Yayoi informed. "An eight day holiday celebrated by those of the Jewish faith. The 'Festival of Lights', as it's called."

"That's right." Nisei nodded.

"Never heard of it." Yoji stated.

"Me neither." Natsuo shook his snow-covered hair.

"I didn't think you were the religious type…"

"I'm not. But I can appreciate my own heritage." Nisei snorted. "I normally go home for Hanukah at least once, but thanks to your brother's antics last year causing me to lose my cool, and then him pissing off my father as we were leaving, I can't go back. So I'm stuck here, alone, in an apartment with no electricity and no heat, being forced to entertain three psychopathic house guests that I _don't_ want there, but keep there because Seimei wants me too. meanwhile, my over protective boyfriend is out visiting _his_ family and having a great old time, but I can't go because his mother hates me and thinks I'm no good for her son. As a very lonely hacker that tends to get destructive when bored you should understand how this is a bad thing, no?" It felt good to get all that off his chest, if only to vent. Unfortunately, it had to be a group of five children that couldn't possibly understand.

"Being home alone isn't fun." The girl stated. "Yuiko is home alone every day after school because mommy and daddy work late."

"Who's Yuiko?"

"I am." She beamed. "Hawatari Yuiko!"

"Are you referring to yourself in the first person…?"

"She does it constantly." Ritsuka stated, irritated. "I, Yuiko. The word is _I._"

"Oh, right! I, I, I!" She giggled, making Nisei want to throw up.

Yayoi rolled his eyes as the Zeroes snickered at her.

"This just more disturbing then anything those three psychos could have possibly done." Nisei commented, shaking his head. "I'm going to go now." He informed. "Nice to see you again, Aoyagi. Give Agatsuma my regards and a swift kick to the shin, would you?"

Ritsuka's ears flattened against his head. "Watch it, Akame. I'm Septimal Moon now, you know."

Nisei paled. "Won't Seimei be thrilled to her that…"

Ritsuka shrugged. "I don't personally care for what my brother is thrilled or is not thrilled by, yo be honest." He informed. "Tell him whatever you want."

Nisei blinked. "You've changed, Aoyagi…"

"How kind of you to notice…" Ritsuka rolled his plum colored eyes.

Nisei could now tell that the boy's eyes were hard and dark like his elder brother's. Just one more feature they shared. "Uh…"

Ritsuka snorted with a laugh and shoved his hands into his pockets before turning. "Come on, you guys. It's cold, let's go." He ordered. "Good to see you again, Akame."

"You don't mean that."

The boy looked at him and smirked, sending a shiver down his spine. "Gee, whatever gave you that idea, Akame?" He wondered.

He left with his friends in tow as the girl who didn't speak Japanese properly turned the video back on and waved goodbye. Nisei flicked his wrist in a wave before putting his headphones over his ears and continuing on his journey. Without knowing it, Seimei caused changes for one too many people. And not the good kind of changes, either.


	8. Return

Dlbn: Hello, everyone! And welcome to the last chapter!

Nbld: That's right. It's the last night of Hanukah.

Dlbn: And thus, the last chapter.

Nbld: let's get going, shall we? Time for the Review Corner! Thank you to Yoitemichaelis for reviewing! Pound cake for you!

Yoitemichaelis: I think so. I might be wrong, though XD Hehe thanks ^^ Nisei really needs some good in his life. Mimuro should've taken him with him anyway *pouts* Ritsuka went off with his friends, that's all. They're all okay ^^

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless it belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of this fic.

000

Lighting the last candle on his menorah, Nisei sighed and tried to ignore the three nut jobs that had taken up residence in his living room. The three of them were trying to figure out how to play Dreidel on the living room rug, and throwing candy at one another when they got bored. An assortment of Skittles, Starburst, Smarties, gelt, and other assorted candies lay about his floor. He didn't really feel like cleaning up after them. They were adults, so they could do it themselves. But he knew that once Hanukah was over and he was no longer in a holiday mood, he'd resort to cleaning it himself because the others were, while capable, the laziest group of people he'd ever met. And he thought his classmates were lazy? These three turned lazy into a whole new word. Luckily, holiday vacation for his school was over, so he didn't have to deal with it. Unfortunately for him, he had another break coming for Christmas, since the rest of the schools got that off as well. Which meant he'd have that and New Year's to deal with them. Just great.

"Thank you, Seimei, for dumping all your problems onto me." Nisei muttered, glaring at the others through the flickering candle light.

Even after breaking their bond, carving Nisei's name out of his hand, and fleeing to America with his tail between his legs, Seimei was still a methodical, psychotic, manipulative bastard that liked to toy with everyone and keep his toys together, where they could easily be reached. But why get them all together _now_? He'd only been gone a couple months. Did he find some newfound passion for his plans while in America? Maybe he found a girl he wanted to impress. Nisei snorted at that idea. Of all the people he knew, Seimei was the second least-likely to form any kind of relationship. He himself was the first, but that ended with Mimuro. If he to pick anyone to pair Seimei with, just for fun, it would be Chouma. They were both just the right amount of insane to work together, yet not too far apart in terms of insanity that one would corrupt the other in any form. But Seimei only had eyes for his little Ritsuka, which Nisei found particularly disturbing; more so then Ritsuka's romantic involvement with the much, much older Soubi. At least the blonde wasn't related or psychotic (okay, perhaps a _little_ psychotic). The age didn't really matter, since they were a Unit, but it was still strange. Unfortunately for them, the two of them being together as more then just a Unit meant that they were vulnerable to Seimei. If he threatened to hurt one, surely the other would back down to save their life. At least, that's how he thought it was. Didn't love mean that you gave up everything and everyone for the one that you loved? Nisei would do just about anything for Mimuro, and he knew the sentiment was shared. He'd even told Mimuro they couldn't be friends anymore to keep him safe from Seimei's wrath. The eldest Aoyagi hated when his pets' attention as being stolen by someone else; let alone their heart.

A gentle knocking on the door took the teen's attention away from the three psycho adults in his living room. Who in the world was visiting him? Mimuro wasn't scheduled to come home for two more days. Did he come home early and was coming to check up on him? It was just like the blonde to surprise him that way. Nisei took a few quick strides towards the door as something hit him in the back of the head. The knocking persisted as he looked down to see his Dreidel at his feet. He looked over to the psychos, who were playing innocent, but Yurio cracked a smile and Chouma burst into loud, annoying laughter and gave them away. Nisei rubbed the back of his head and picked up the small toy.

"Mature." He stated.

The three of them lost it at that as Nisei rolled his eyes and went to the door to open it. He unlocked it and pulled the door open.

"Hell…oh?" He wondered, eyes widening as he realized just who it was standing on the other side of the door.

Hard, plum colored eyes blinked at him from under a curtain of slightly curly black bangs. Cat ears perched on top of a head that was tilted up as if the owner was looking over the top of him instead of at him twitched.

"Hello, Nisei." A smooth voice with a hard edge greeted.

Nisei felt his jaw drop slightly and snapped it shut, taking a step back. "S-Seimei?" He wondered.

The laughing from the living room ceased as quickly as it had started. Seimei blinked at his former Fighter.

"I'm surprised by you, Nisei. You've never pulled from me before."

"I…but I don't get it…" Nisei swallowed. "Why…why are you here?"

Without asking, Seimei followed the fighter into the apartment. Nisei stopped moving so he wouldn't back into the counter behind him as Seimei shut the door with his foot.

"Well I'll be damned!" Chouma was the fist on her feet. She bounded over to the Beloved sacrifice and wrapped her arms around him.

Seimei pulled back in mild disgust but didn't yell at her to get away from him.

"What are you doing here, Seimei?" Hideo asked. "I thought you weren't coming back until after the New Year."

"You knew when he was going to come back and didn't say anything?" Nisei glared at the Bloodless Sacrifice.

Hideo shrugged.

"I thought you would skip town if you knew." Yurio stated. "But he's early."

"I didn't think any of you would stay around, let alone meet in Akame's apartment and stay here."

"You tricked me into letting Chouma stay here."

Seimei smirked. "I suppose I did."

"And them."

"They're here on their own accord. Not mine."

Nisei rolled his eyes. "You picked a hell of a time to show up. "It's a holiday for me still, you know."

"I'm aware." Seimei smirked. "I figured instead of getting you a present, I'd show up and be the present, hm?" He chuckled.

"What do you want, Seimei?" Nisei wondered. "I'm not a Fighter anymore and…"

"I've met someone that can change that for you." Seimei informed. "If you'll come with me, that is." He held out a glove covered hand to the lithe former Fighter.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you're my enemy."

Nisei blinked. He didn't trust Seimei _or_ his sources or friends, but he didn't want to be on his bad side either.

"Well, Nisei? Make a choice." Seimei prodded.

Hideo and Yurio stood behind him and waited. Chouma never left his side, removing one arm from around his neck.

"Are you with me? Or against me?"

"I'm…"

He really did hate being useless and missed being a Fighter but he didn't want to kill anymore for Seimei. And Gomon had threatened ot kill him if he tried to get back his power…

"But…Gomon said…"

"She will kill you if you pull anything or try to get your power back. I know." Seimei nodded. "I just need to know. Are you with me, or against me?"

Nisei closed his eyes and thought it over. On one hand, Seimei was a complete sadistic bastard. On the other hand, he was still Seimei's Fighter by blood and destiny, not power. When Nisei opened his eyes, he had a look of unwavering determination on his face.


End file.
